Made It // Upholstered Box Frame

I'd love a new bed. I've imagined moving a king sized mattress, complete with a professionally upholstered frame, fit with 500 thread count sheets into our bedroom long before I ever laid eyes on Holtwood House. But you have to admit, that there's also something so undeniably satisfying in making something happen from almost nothing and in resolving a long standing eyesore with just a little experimentation, risk and determination.

I'd long tired of the old skirt that used to hang around our bed. I tested longer bedspreads and oversized duvets that might fill the gap between our metal frame and the floor just so and still leave a sleeker impression. But those temporary solutions still left our 'made' bed still looking pretty disheveled. As we approached the holidays this year, I had a vision to create an extension of the wall hung headboard I had made just weeks after moving in. My plan would implement a 'box' that would sit around the bed - unanchored to the metal frame, but sturdy enough to stand on it's own. 

Initially, I spec'd out some boards, but even knotty pine in the dimensions I needed would end up costing more than I ever wanted to spend on this project. I nearly bit the bullet when I happened to glance over at the reduced lumber pile and saw a plywood panel marked with a little paint at 70% off. Some quick math and at $3.60, including some custom cuts out the door, I knew I could not pass it up.

Back home on the fly, I fashioned a box that sat 16" high from the floor around our bed - just a smidge higher than the box springs. I set my plywood boards at 90 degree angles, fastening them together with 2" wide corner brackets. Some batting I had hanging around the house was stapled over the box once it was set upright around the bed. This added some much needed padding and dimension under the upholstery. 

Unfortunately, I no longer had the headboard fabric and knew I'd have a hard time finding an exact match. Luckily, I had just enough (and I mean... just enough) micro-suede in a similar color left over from an abandoned pillow project and at last found another use for it. I carefully measured and marked the backside before cutting it down and stapling it into place.

The bed looks so much more polished now - particularly when the duvet is tucked tightly into the box frame. This was one of those surprisingly satisfying little projects where the stars aligned and all came together quickly, inexpensively and better than I ever anticipated. Just an hour of my time - using just a handful of materials, most of which I already had on hand and the result really worked to elevate our master bedroom. 

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